Improvement in paper-folding machines



UNITED STATES PATENT CEEICE.

RICHARD R. GUBBINS, OF TROY, NEW YORK, ASSIGNOR TO HIMSELF, PATRICK J.FITZGERALD, AND LEWIS H. DEZOUCHE, OF SAME PLACE.

IMPROVEMENT IN PAPER-FOLDING MACHINES.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 120,639, dated November7, 1871.

To all whom it 'may concern:

Be it known that I, RICHARD R. GUBBnvs, of the city of Troy, State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Machinesfor Folding Paper; and I do hereby declare that the following is adescription thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawingforming a part of this specification, in Which- Figure 1 is aperspective view of the machine. Fig. 2 is a section of the same throughline No. l, Fig. 3. Fig. 3 is a plan view. Fig. 4 isa cross-sectionthrough line No. 2, Fig. 3.

The nature of my invention consists in the combination of a cam or stopand lever with the folding-knife usually employed, whereby thefolding-knife will be operated in a rapid manner to effect aninstantaneous creasing of the paper at the point it is to be folded.

That others may fully understand my invention, I will particularlydescribe it and its mode` of operation.

The several groups of folding-rollers are supported by the frame A, andmotion is communicated to them by means of the shafts C C, which aremounted in brackets z z along the side of said frame, and are connectedat their ends by bevel-gears y y. The driving-rollers for the severalgroups of folding-rollers are geared to said shafts by bevel-gears y andyf. The shaft C is actuated by a belt and pulley, not shown in thedrawing; and when the motion of said shaft is arrested to make theoperation of the apparatus intermittent, the said belt may be thrown outof connection in some well-known Way, or it may simply be permitted toslip. When the apparatus is putin position the frame A is placed so thatthe folding-knife B is directly in front of the dier of the press, andin such a position relative thereto that the sheet of paper, as itpasses down the iiier, will pass in front of said knife. When the iiierdeposits the sheet the knife B will be pushed over with it, and willcrease the paper for the first fold and drive it down until nippedbetween the roller b and apron e. The knife and hier rise up together,and the motion of the apron and roller b completes the iirst fold andconveys the paper to the rods f over the second group G.

The sheet of paper is successively folded by means of several groups offolding-rollers placed at right angles to each other. The first of saidgroups, G, makes the first fold, as above described, and is composed ofthe rollers a, 11,0, d, and d', with the endless apron c and tapes e.The rollers a and b are not in contact with each other, but areseparated to a greater or less distance, and the paper is not foldedbetween them, but is folded by passing between the roller b and theendless apron e. The prime roller c, by means of the endless apron c,transmits motion to the folding-roller b, and through said roller to theconveyer-tapes e, without the interposition of any gearing or otherindependent means of transmission. The roller d is elevated sufficientlyhigh to pass the paper upon the rods f or similar supports, just abovethe group G', at right angles to group G, by means of which the paperreceives its second fold in a direction transverse to the first fold. Inthe same manner the paper is conveyed from one group to another untilthe required number of folds has been made, all the several groups, G,G', G, and G, being` composed of rollers and endless aprons arrangedsimilar to group G, already described. In passing from group Gl to groupG" the paper is supported upon rods similar to the rods f.

The said folding-groups G G G G" may be increased or diminished innumber, according to the size of the paper to be folded or the number offolds to be given; and if the number of such folding-groups be increasedthe ad-` ditional groups are to be arranged in position, one with theother, in the manner substantially as the several groups alreadydescribed, preserving meanwhile the position of the axes of the severalrollers in the same plane. Each folding-group is provided with avibrating folding-knife, B or B. The said folding-knives B or Bl areeach provided with arms t t, which connect with their roller-bars a u',having `bearings fv o placed on any suitable part of the frame, aboveor-below, or elsewhere, as may be required, and are so arranged as tothrow toward their folding-groups and strike with their edges betweenthe banded roller and its coacting mate of a group, as between the bandon the roller a and its coacting roller b of group G, or band jover theroller g and its coacting roller h of group G, and thus substantiallythe same with each group; and the knives operating with those groupswhich have placed beneath them receiving-rods ff,'running at rightangles with their rollers, as in the case of group G", must haveprovided in them notches, so as to pass all such receiving-rods soplaced. Each rollerbar u is furnished with a lever, w', which lever isoperated by a cam, a', attached to a shaft, C, running in a directionparallel with the knife B', to beoperated by said cams w' and levers w'.Elastic springs Z', Figs. l and 4, connecting with each lever fw' andthe frame A, sustain the said folding-knives B' in proper position whennot. acted upon by the cams w'. The vibrating folding-knifeJ B, Figs. l,2, and 3, is operated by y of the press,"(not shown,) and is held incheck by the stop-clutch x attached to to the shaft O operating on thelever w attached to the roller-bar u', Figs. l and 3.

It is intended that each cylinder of a printing-press shall have one ofthese machines properly attached, to receive the paper as it is printedand delivered from its cylinder by the fly, and they are to beplacedbeneath the iiies of the said printing-cylinder in the usual spacebeneath such ies, which space is usually from eight to ten inches indepth. y f

Being thus arranged in its several parts and placed as described, theseveral parts of this invention operate as follows in the progress offolding the paper operated upon: The paper runs down the tapes in theusual way in front of the fiy of' the press and in front of thefolding-knife B. The fly of the press falls in the usual manner andforces paper and knife together between the roller b and endless belt e.At the same time the knife descends, the lever w of the knife B isreleased from the clutchstop x, and the shafting C is permitted torevolve and give motion to the several parts of the folding machine andcause the several shafts C to revolve once; and while the said shafts C,&c., are making their one revolution the fly of the press returns to itsright position and carries with it the folding-knife B. The return ofthe knife B to its upright position, as in Fig. l, brings the lever w ofthe said knife in contact with the clutch-stop x, and arrests the motionof all the parts of' the folding-machine.

When the fly of the press throws down a second sheet of paper theseveral parts of the machine are operated a second time by a similarrevolution of the shaft C, and the first sheet of paper is carried alongto be operated upon and folded a second time; and in this manner thefolding-machine is operated in all its parts; and when the fly of thepress has thrown down a number of sheets corresponding with the numberof folding-groups in the machine, each folding-group will perform anoperation of folding once its paper and pass it to the next succeedingfolding-group to be further operated upon, and thus result in thedelivery of a paper duly folded at each drop of a new sheet from the flyof the press after all the groups have been once supplied.V

It is to be understood that the folding-niachine is to be geared to r-unat a speed equal to the maximum speed of the press; and its motion is tobe permitted and arrested by the stop a: acting on the lever w of thefoldingknife B, (which is carried by the usual y of the press,) so asalways to make the several parts of the machine to work in unison withthe printing-press whether the latter runs slower than its maximum speedor not.

In the operation of the several parts of this machine, as describedabove, the paper operated upon moves as follows in its progress of beingfolded for delivery: When the sheet of paper has been thrown by the flyfrom the press the paper will fall, wide spread, over the firstfolding-group G in such a manner that its primary folding place will beover the line of contact of the roller b with the endless band e,(around the roller a,) when the folding-knife (operated as described)will thrust the paper at said line of contact down between the saidroller b and endless band e, and the paper, by the revolving of therollers and movement of the band in the said group G, will be drawn inunder and between the roller b and its coacting band c to and out fromthe said roller, and then will be carried along, by the bed of the bande, under the tapes e' and roller d', to be delivered on thereceiving-rods ff over the second folding-group G', shown in Figs. l and2.

When a second sheet is thrown down by the fly the second sheet isoperated upon in the manner of the rst sheet, and, at the same time, thefirst sheet will be operated upon at and by the second group G', whichis as follows: The revolving shaft C, turning in the direction indicatedby arrows in Fig. 4, operates the cam x', which throws up the lever w'and causes the folding-knife B' to throw down suddenly and thrust theedge of the same against the paper, and drives it down between theroller h and the band j, when it will be drawn down and passed underbetween the roller h and its coacting band, and carried forward andunder the third folding-group G".

When a third sheet is thrown down by the fly the first and second sheetsof paper will be passed along to be operated upon in the mannersubstantially as described by their several folding-groups, the groupsG' and G" folding the paper at lines parallel with each other and atright angles to the folding of group G, while the folding-group G"' willfold the paper at right angles with the groups G' G".

It is to be understood that the relative lines of direction of theseveral rollers in the several groups may be changed so as to give therequired direction to the several folds to be made in the paper, andalso the number of the said folding-groups may be increased ordiminished, according to the required number of folds to be given; butin every case the said foldinggroups are to be kept in the same plane,so that, by working the paper from one group to another, by falling andraising the paper as operated upon, the paper can be folded in the thefolding-knife B, substantially as and for the limited depth of spacedemanded by the presses purpose set forth.

" R. R. GUBBINS.

as made.

Having thus described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secureby Letters Patent, Witnesses: is- ALEX. SELKIRK,

The stop x and lever w, in combination with P. J. FITZGERALD.- (117)

